Declan Donnelly and his wife Ali welcomed their second child on Saturday, announcing the secret arrival of their baby boy in a sweet Instagram post.
In a touching nod to Dec's best friend and TV sidekick Ant McPartlin and his Northern Irish father, Alphonsus Donnelly, who died from cancer in 2011, the couple named their little one Jack Anthony Alphonsus.
Sharing a picture of his son's tiny hand, Dec wrote in Instagram : "Shortly before 10am yesterday, 23.7.2022, Ali and I welcomed the arrival of our son, Jack Anthony Alphonsus."
Dec hailed the tot a "very welcome ray of light," following the tragic death of his big brother, Father Dermott Donnelly, 55, from a suspected bleed on the brain just three weeks earlier.
The loss left Dec and his family reeling. Sharing his agony with fans, Dec tweeted: "I am heartbroken to tell you that my darling brother Fr Dermott, @TweeterPriest, sadly passed away this afternoon.
"We are all beyond devastated. Thank you for your messages of sympathy and support, they are appreciated."
Ant - who has known Dec since he was a teenage actor in Newcastle - was one of the first to pay tribute to Father Dermott, describing him as the “kindest, wisest man I knew.”
"Rest in peace my friend. You will never be forgotten," he tweeted. “My thoughts, prayers and love are with your wonderful family. The world has lost a special man. X A.”
Throughout their 35-year friendship, Ant and Dec have been there for each other through thick and thin, supporting one and other through relationship breakdowns, bereavements and Ant's rehab.
For more of the news you care about, straight to your inbox, sign up for one of our daily newsletters here.
Indeed, back when Dec's first daughter Isla was born almost four years ago, Ant was struggling through one of the darkest points in his life.
News of Ali's first pregnancy broke just after Ant entered rehab for a second time after losing control of his Mini and causing a three-car smash in west London.
He entered a guilty plea to drink driving and was fined £86,000 and disqualified from driving for 20 months. Determined to focus on his recovery and overcome his addiction issues, Ant cancelled all TV work, leaving Dec to front Saturday Night Takeaway alone before Holly Willoughby joined him on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
Ant was also in the midst of ending his 23-year relationship with ex-wife Lisa Armstrong. The pair struggled for many years to conceive, and news of Dec and Ali's pregnancy is said to have brought a lot of feelings to the surface for Ant.
“Ant is thrilled for Dec and Ali but the news sparked other emotions because he has always wanted children," a source told The Mirror at the time.
“There is some heartache and it is a bittersweet moment. Ant has gone into rehab and has recently split from his wife Lisa, so his life is just not the same as the one Ant has right now.”
Lisa and Ant started trying for a baby of their own four years after tying the knot in 2006.
"We've wanted children for a while but we're both busy," Ant shared in 2010.
"We're on a break now, the first proper one for 15 years. So Lisa and I are trying for a baby... well, we've been trying for a little while so fingers crossed."
Sadly it didn't happen and three years later, Ant said he feared their age was against them. And in 2017 he again hinted at his pain, admitting: "We’ve struggled. Like a lot of couples do. It’s very personal."
The couple split in 2018 and he went on to marry former personal assistant Anne-Marie Corbett last August.
As for Dec and Ali, they first hit it off professionally in 2003 when Ali joined James Grant Management as his manager and accompanied him and Ant to Australia for the first ever I'm A Celebrity.
And after Dec split from childhood sweetheart Clare Buckfield, rumours of a brief romance flew and Ali - who lived just 200 metres down the road from Dec's Chiswick home - was even spotted joining Dec, Ant and Lisa Armstrong on holiday.
However, at that time it seems their budding romance wasn't to be, and Dec went on to have a two-year relationship with presenter Georgie Thompson.
But Ali and Dec reunited in 2014 - this time for good.
Opening up about their complicated situation, Dec once hinted that work had been the barrier.
“I think we’ve always been attracted to each other but it has always been that thing of we work together," he said.
"This is the first time we’ve given it a try. We always hung out. When she was single and I was single we’d go out for dinner on Valentine’s night together because we didn’t have partners.
“This year we went out as couple."
Have you got a story to share? We want to hear all about it. Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk
